UFON: Unidentified Freak of Nature
by BookWormAndProudOfIt
Summary: I'm human or at least I think I am: I eat, sleep, breathe, yet it's 2012 and I was born in 1890. I've always wondered what I am; I've had a long time to figure it out, almost 123 years. I've never had much to go on though, just ostracization from society, an old photo and my name: Anne Whitlock.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys :) This idea's been runnin' around in my head for a while, preventing me from doing stupid Physics homework :P I already have the first few chapters done, but won't post the next one til next Fridayish? I wanna see if you guys think I should continue it or not? **

**And for anyone whose waiting for an update on Frying Pan, I'm working on that, sorry it's taken me so long. :[**

**Anyway hope y'all like it :) **

**Disclamer: Stephanie Meyer owns the world characters etc, and James Patterson to his due credit for the Maximum Ride series (wasn't sure if I was needed but better to be safe than sorry :D)**

Hey there to anyone readin this, how are you? How's your day been? What's your name? Good, that's great. Okay I'm pretty sure we've all read or at least heard of the Maximum Ride series; so I'm gonna steal a page from Mr. James Patterson.

Whatever you do don't read this, trust me it will end up very badly, for you anyway. Because if you tell anyone about this, well they probably won't believe you, hell I don't believe it and I'm the one telling you this.

Anyway, if you told anyone 1) you'd end up in a psyche word, with me on the outside, pointing and laughing like a maniac and 2) well…actually that's what would happen, and I'd find it very entertaining especially when you started shouting "See, see I'm not crazy! That's her, that's her!" Then everyone comes runnin and I'm not there.

Yup, that's how I get my kicks.

So when I'm not spending my free time torturing you guys I spend it trying to solve a mystery that's been plaguing me since I was little.

It's a really simple question, yet the answer apparently isn't as simple.

Question: What the hell am I?

Answer: Yet to be determined, after 122 years of searching.

I'm obviously not "human" consider I'm pushin 163, and no I don't look like a bag of bones. I look like a 17 year old. So obviously I shouldn't be human, but I am. I don't know how that works, but it does. So obviously you see my dilemma I don't know exactly what I am, or why I'm alive for that matter or how. I mean I've looked at every single thing that belongs in fiction novels, trying to find something that could possibly be me. Would you like a short look at the list I've gone through? No? Well too bad I'm telling you anyway, so either quit your complain and sit through it, or just skip it.

Vampire: A reanimated corpse that is believed to rise from the grave at night to suck the blood of sleeping people.

Nope defiantly not that, never been dead, and suck peoples blood. Eww gross.

Werewolf: A person believed to have been transformed into a wolf or to be capable of assuming the form of a wolf.

Pretty sure I'm not that either didn't have furry tail last time I checked.

Witch/Wizard: One who practices magic; a sorcerer or magician.

Nope, no lightening shaped scar, or giant brain that takes in info like oxygen.

Fairy: an imaginary supernatural being, usually represented in diminutive human form and characterized as clever, playful, and having magical powers

Uhh…not in this life time. I'm not _that _small, not clever, and not very playful. Magical powers hmm… get back to you on that.

Ghost: The spirit of a dead person, especially one believed to appear in bodily likeness to living persons or to haunt former habitats.

Still walkin', still breathin' so that's out.

Alien: A creature from outer space

Hmm…not green check, no crazy fingers check, I live long, but I don't prosper, so alien out.

Giant, mermaid, dragon, dwarf, leprechaun, big foot, the lockness monster; any creature, either known or unknown, that shouldn't exist I've checked them all. And I don't fit any of them. Basically I'm, what I call myself anyway, a U.F.O.N: an Unidentified Freak Of Nature. Original right?

So you wanna come along on this little trip where I try and find out what the hell I am?

Oh yeah maybe I should mention something else that's important, I'm Anna Whitlock.

**Soo…? Leave me tale of what you thought? :D Come on you know you want to ;). **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, just wanted to thank all the awesome people who reviewed, favorited, and/or alerted the story :) Thanks so much...**

_TeamComrade11_

_AngelDragon84- You'll have to wait and see ;) Thanks for the super long review though! :)_

_ladyMiraculousNight_

_FleetingInspiration-HEY! Hahaha commas are my worst enemies :P And have you should know by now my thoughts are that of a broken record player. ;) hehehhe. I'll work on that though :) _

**Also Happy Thanksgiving! :) And Happy any and all other holidays this time of the year! :)**

The snow that drifted down through the tree tops, heavens frozen tears, was unnoticed, having lived here for a while in the coldest town in the U.S. Probably in the world.

Over a few minutes, the rate of snow increased, I got up, dusting my butt off, and started to head back to the run down shack, I temporary called home.

"Shade," I called quietly, not wanting to disturb the peace.

Slinking out from behind a tree, a lean, big eared, scary to children, charcoal painted dog padded silently up next to me. Ruffling her over-sized ears, I am not kidding I swear I could get a football game in the middle of the freaking Amazon on those things, she kept pace with me, bumping against my leg every couple steps.

Hugging my jacket closer, as the snow steadily increased, we hurried along, eventually coming to an abandoned home. Hurrying up the crumbling back stairs; you never appreciate the simple things like a roof until you've gone without one for a while, especially when it's snow 24/7season. Okay it wasn't actually like that, but it might as well have been before I found this place.

"Hey!" I exclaimed as Shade shook herself dry, right next to me. Not even paying attention to my shout, she began to pace around the room. With a sigh, I shrugged out of my jacket tossing it over one of the abandoned piece of furniture to dry, before dropping to sit cross-legged on the floor. Pulling a can of Chef Boyardee out of my bag, I cracked it open with a knife, stabbed a meatball and popped it in my mouth. I wiggled my toes, trying to get some feeling back in then; it's a miracle that all these years I haven't lost any to frostbite or anything. But with frozen shoes it was like if your foot's on fire and you try and put the fire by sticking your foot in the oven, it really didn't do a lot of good.

Continuing to eat I didn't miss the fact a certain dog/ wolf creature was watching my every move. Dumping a few noodles and a meatball on my hand, immediately Shade bolted over and scarfed it down.

"I told you to eat earlier," I muttered as she licked some leftover sauce on her lips. She just wagged her tail a bit; she never really wagged it a lot. Digging around in my bag, I pulled out a nearly destroyed, sickly green looking tennis ball, tossing it into some other room. She loped after it, came back, plopped down and started to chew the livin' daylights out of the poor thing.

"How many times have I told you: it's not food," I told her. Her response: pause for a second, look at me like I'm psycho, then return to chomping at the toy.

_Well you are kinda psycho, you're talking to a dog._

_Shut up I'm not psycho, I've questioned my sanity plenty of times. _

_So, you still talk to animals like their people._

_Well it's not like I have anyone else to talk to._

_You're talkin to me aren't you?_

_You? I'm talkin' to myself…oh. _

I just had a lovely conversation with myself, and lost.

Someone please tell me how that works.

"What do you think?" I questioned the air.

Silence was my answer; great answer.

"So…ready to get out of this place?"

Shade's ears flicked to catch my voice, pausing mid-bite.

"Yeah, me too. It's gettin' a little bit too cold for me; don't know 'bout yah."

It kept my sanity intact I guess, even though I knew she couldn't answer back, she's a dog, duh, but you get lonely after a while inside your head with no one to talk to. I'd always thought I'd do okay by myself that I wouldn't go insane from lack of human contact, but yeah, I was wrong. I'd been okay at first just like I thought, but then it started going downhill. Being alone all the time, it…it does stuff to you. It messes with your head. That's why I keep 'adopting' dogs, to have company, to keep my mind straight.

A draft, winters warning, brought me out of my thoughts. Teeth on edge, I grabbed my blanket type thing, and hunkered down for the night. I curled up behind some piece of furniture, shivering as another breeze flew through; god I hope I don't lose any toes tonight.

. . .

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Of course the clerk guy had to be some creeper.

"No thanks," I muttered darkly, snatching the key from his hand.

"Are you sure?" He looked me up and down quickly, grinning to himself.

Shooting daggers at the creep, I turned sharply and marched out of the place. Going all the way to the back of the run-down motel, I whistled and let myself into the room. A shadow darted in right behind me, immediately hopping onto the bed, or the thing that passed for one. I locked the door, and closed the blinds, casting the room into an eerie darkness.

Setting my bag on the small table that looked like it was going to break any second, I practically ran to the shower. Yes it's girly, and yet it's terrible, but the last real shower I had was months ago. So sue me. I stripped, leaving my shoes on, never know, and hopped in. Glad I had some soap and shampoo left over from God knows when, I quickly washed up. Standing there, letting the hot water, slowly release some of the tension that'd built up over the months. I closed my eyes.

_"Mama," I cried, running as fast I could down the stairs, "What's goin' on?"_

_"Be quiet Anna," she hissed, from beside the window. _

_I froze, Mama never got angry, well only when one of us did something really bad. _

_"What's happenin'?" I asked quietly._

_"I don't know," she whispered back after a bit, which meant it was bad, really bad. Over the year, I'd learned to pick up on little things, things I'd never noticed in my childhood naivety. The worry lines almost hidden, and the quick occasional dart of her eyes, I saw it all. "Go check on your brother and sister." _

_"Yes ma'am," I mumbled, scurrying into the other room where my younger brother and sister were playin' with some ol' marbles. Innocence pooled deep in their eyes; if only they knew the disturbance that lurked outside. _

A bucketful of cold water brought me out of my thoughts, and forced me out. Drying off just enough to not soak my clothes, thankful I'd remember to grab some; I pulled on a pair of dark, extremely worn, jeans, a black tank that had unintentional neon green paint all over it, and another simple, tight grey wife beater. Working my fingers through the tangled mess I called hair, I went back out, tossing the dirty clothes near my bag, and flipped the ancient looking TV on, settling on the news.

Have you even noticed how the news people are the only people you ever see "good morning" or "good evening" and then tell you why it's not?

Sitting cross legged on the bed, I mulled over the annoying and extremely likely possibility that I was going to be staying here a while until I get enough money to at least start renting some apartment. Usually I wouldn't give a crap that I'm gonna be stayin' in some run down, twenty buck a night motel in the worst part of town, but Mr. Pedophile is going to get really annoying really fast.

_Maybe I can get him fired or somethin…_

"Whatcha think?"

Shade tilted her head, probably wonderin "Why is this stupid human always talking to me? Does it look like I can talk back?"

"Wanna get the creepy manager fired?"

Silence.

"Take that as a no."

Staring at the screen, I wondered if maybe someday, they'd announce that they found some special breed of super human or something. And that 'super human' would be like me

_Like that'd ever happen, probably test the poor dude like there's no tomorrow first. Then ship him off to Area 51 or somethin._

Hmm…maybe I'll head down there next, see if that place really does exist. Maybe I'll find E.T or somethin.

Stretching out, before curling onto my side, the tv on mute, I made a mental note to tune in tomorrow. I still had a connection to the rock station, but it was fuzzy and besides rock songs weren't my area of expertise.

I was almost asleep, then some strange yet totally plausible idea said hello, and I shoved the covers back, grabbed the chair and jammed it under the door handle.

Hey yah never know. There's a lot of psychos in this world and one of thems runnin' this joint.

. . .

A cold nose nudging my face disrupted my sleep, and I pushed Shade away. Her response: sneeze all over my face.

"Gross!" I bolted up right, dragging my severely picked at nails all over my skin. I desperately wiped away the dog snot; I'm well aware I'm being overly-dramatic, but you know what it entertains me and I like to think her, so sue me.

Scowling at her, I went and peeked out the curtain, still dark. Moving the chair to the side, I cautiously opened the door enough for her to get through. Leaving the door barely cracked I shuffled over, still half asleep, to my bag and dug around till I found the IPod wall charger. Setting my bag near the charger I plugged the IPod in and grabbed a small bag of mostly smashed Cheerios. Yeah, know it's weird, some random half wild child having an IPod, one would think I wouldn't even know what one was, but I do and I got one. Took me FOREVER to save up and get one, and it's one of the older ones, simple scroll circle thing and screen, pretty basic, but pretty essential , not it the oh I'm gonna die if I don't have music way, oh wait yeah it is, only I mean that literally. Music is me, and I'm music.

And don't you just love how I came up with that cheesy description yet I have no clue what it means or how to describe it?

A slight flicker told me my little shadow was coming back and soon enough a slight creek scratched the air, sounding even louder than it should have in the empty room. Slipping the thin chain collar over her head, taking in the slightly darker wet patches around her muzzle, I threw the destroyed yellow ball again.

_Good, now I don't gotta share_.

Switching the tv back on, I flicked through, settling on the news again. I've been disconnected from the world for so long the President could have been shot; a creepy puppet replaced him, and green jello been outlawed for all I know. Desperately needed to play catch up, and that's what I did until the news went off a few hours later.

Pretty much decided today would be a lazy day, just sleep, sleep and maybe go for a walk or something. I don't know about you, but sleep never sounded so good right now, and it wasn't even the sleep part it was just the laying down part that sounded amazing. My lazy days varied each year, some year I was always running, others I hunkered down, getting a couple months or even a year or two of steady living. That only usually happened in bigger cities, like L.A and New York; it's easier to hide amongst a couple million people.

Shuffling to the bathroom, still half asleep, I twisted the knob, the roar of water filling the small bathroom. Nails clicked on cheap linoleum, and I leaned against the wall, yawning. It was a weird thing I sort of taught all my dogs, drink out of the tub faucet, it was kinda funny, but useful, in an odd sorta way. Slamming the water off, and going back into the main room, I quickly packed up, leaving no trace that I was every here.

Night had settled again, stars gently shinning through the mist of clouds that floated lazily across the heavens. Slipping out the door, noting a car parked nearby, that was moving…-eww-, we quickly slithered by into the safety of the trees. I slipped an ear bud in, and pressing play, Red's _Death of Me_ **(A/N which I completely recommend!) **began to dance in my head.

Snow drifted gently down, vanishing on the already slush covered earth, and creating a pepper pattern on Shades back. Moonlight reflected off white landscape, allowing my simple human eyes to see. The frozen rain crunched quietly, the only sound in the deserted woods; it was an eerie noise, yet oddly soothing. Sliding through the shadows, just a quick flicker of movement, the night wore on; the only sign of us being the obvious footprints that would soon be washed away. Time passed as did the earth; stopping in a small gathering of Lodgepoles, I shut the music off.

Signaling for Shade to keep look out, I closed my eyes, letting the outside world fade away. Hearing the faint buzz of the poor signal, feeling it swim through me like blood, I quickly cut away the connection, simple like a paper cut, quick like a ripping off a band-aid. The usual aftermath hollowness rapidly swallowed me up, the insecurity, the vulnerability; searching, sorting through the tangle of radio stations, until I found the one I wanted. Latching onto the invisible life line, I reveled in the music that began to whisper in the back of my head. Feeling secure once again, I opened my eyes, and began to hum along to the tune.

Rolling my shoulders, trying to release the stiffness that'd built up during the tuning in, one of the stupid side effects of having to connect so many times, I turned to stare up at the frozen sky, where the half moon was fighting to shine through. The perfect postcard scene was interrupted by the loud protest of my stomach. I glared pointedly down at the guilty party, before noticing the all too innocent looking mutt sitting at attention nearby, tongue flicking out occasional to clean away the new coat of dinner around her muzzle.

"Oh shut up." Grumbling, I started back towards the motel, feeling her smug grin on my back.

Pasta sounded so good; Raman noodles here I come. Hmmm…Chicken or Pork, or maybe California Vegetable? Hmm maybe-

_What the?_

"Freeze," I hissed, molding the shield around me and Shade, making us dead to the rest of the world. Some…_things_ were nearby, and relying on past encounters, they weren't friendly.

**So…? What did y'all think? I know it's strange, but please give it a chance :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey just wanted to say thanks to all those who reviewed, alerted and favorited the story :D. This includes…**

_ScarletDevil1503_

_FleetingInspiration-don't kill me for the bad grammar, :( I didn't wanna bug you :/_

_angel19872006_

_Chimamireyuki Hiroya_

**So sorry for the long wait :( Just everything.**

**As for Frying Pan I'm still stuck on that, hopefully I'll get some work done on that soon, but I just got a new job so… sorry :( **

**Anyway here's the next chapter.**

_Previously_

_What the?_

"_Freeze," I hissed, molding the shield around me and Shade, making us dead to the rest of the world. Some…things were nearby, and __relying on past encounters, they weren't friendly_

_Page break page break page break page break page break page break page break page break page…_

I really don't know how to describe what happens, or why, or how for that matter. Maybe this part was just some gut reaction or instinct of years of running and being chased. Now I know what you're thinking 17 years isn't that old, but y'all don't know anything yet. Anyway, the point is…how do I explain this. I don't wanna say 'sensed' or 'I knew' because then that might give you the wrong impression. But that's basically it. Some silent signal went off in my head and whatever… "ability" that makes me the freak I am… "tells me", I guess you could say, what set the signal off. Long story short I knew there were 10 people in the woods not far off.

Changing directions, I quickly skated my way over the terrain, leaving Shade to wait in the underbrush. The snow made it difficult to be sneaky, hiding footprints wasn't something I couldn't do, but the wind had picked up, dashing away the imprints.

_Well crap! _

Slowing down, I crouched behind a tree, double checking the shield, though it'd be a little late now, since I'm not a few hundred feet from a coven of vampires.

And they were playing… baseball?

Umm…okay?

Taking a head count 5 females and 5 males; wait, duh heck? 4 male vamps and some extra dude; he's different.

_Really? What gave you the first clue? No red eyes or the tan skin? _

I felt my eardrums almost shattered as one of them, a small, dark spiky-haired one, swung at the invisible ball, before she took off in a blur. Thankful the ball wasn't headed towards me, I watched in slight awe at how… "normal" they seemed; just your typical family baseball game, only it was played by the undead. Anxiety started to build at how close I actually was, this was the largest group I'd ever come across, and they could have some special abilities. The shield I had up only blocked the sound of my heartbeat, breathing, and any other noise I made, willingly or not, and my scent, 'cause them vamps can smell a drop a blood from freakin 200 miles away I swear.

I was about to turn away, when one of them burst through the trees, baseball in hand.

What the heck?

No way. No freakin' way.

_Jasper?_

The one with the coppery hair whipped to stare right where I was hiding. You know that really cliché movie thing where they say everything happens really fast yet really slow at the same time, yeah it actually happens. Time seemed to slow down yet speed up at the same time; I really don't know how to explain it. My breath caught in my throat for a second, I guess a reaction to being heard, maybe it's my stupid brains weird idea that no breathing = no seey, because despite the shadows, which really did nothing I knew that Mr. Vamp was now aware I was here. Big observation I know right? I also knew he was fast enough that he should have been over here, killed me and gone back to his game already, but I'm still breathing.

Time went back to normal, or as they say in the movies 'caught up' as we both took off. No I didn't technically see him 'take off', no human eye can, but I could feel it (going back to that whole 'I don't know how I know it, I just do' issue). The sense of being hunted also sorta clued me in.

My legs pounded away at the earth, finding their own path through the woods. My lungs burned, but adrenaline wouldn't let me stop. Tree's blurred by; I was still scared about running this fast, scared I'd run smack dab into a tree. The number of times I'd run like this I could count on one hand

Shutting off all connections, I stopped, well, more like tripped, and ended up stumbling into a face plant, before ducking into some a tall grassy area. Knowing he was getting closer, I stretched the facade, and killed everything, so even the vampire wouldn't know I was a few feet from him. Now if you wondering why I just didn't' do this in the first place, it's cause I'm stupid, and it's extremely hard to put this shield up when I just connected. My god I sound like I'm some stupid character in some video game or somethin'.

My eyes darted around, looking for any sign of him, though I had a better chance of winning the lottery then catching a glimpse of the vamp. If I'd blinked I'd have missed it, yet I still almost did. One millisecond he wasn't there and the next he was.

The usual paleness made his coppery hair stand out even more, though it sorta matched his…gold eyes? Could this coven get any weirder? In a blink four more were crowded next to him: an average height brunette, the short-spiky haired one, an older, though he couldn't have been older than late 20's, blond-haired male, and another "older" one, though she couldn't have been older than late 20's either, with caramel hair.

"What's wrong Edward?" the brunette asked

"There was a girl; she saw us." Edward told, nostrils flaring.

"Was it another vampire?" the blond male asked.

A rhythmic pounding could be heard through the ground, and it was getting closer; great now what?

The last four vamps appeared along with the strange dude: the blond-hair female and the big burly guy with curly dark-brown hair, and a teenage girl with bronze hair, wait she had brown eyes, was she human? The darker-skinned guy came at a human pace to stand next to her, and lastly the blond male aka Jasper.

"No. She-she was human?"Edward told, confused.

"How can that be?" the other female asked. "None of us heard her or smelt her, are you sure she was human?"

"Positive."

_Come on, leave already._

They just stood there and talked for what seemed like forever, questioning whether I was human or not, how I'd run that fast, blah blah blah. Taking the opportunity, I studied the blond vampire, drawing on the image I'd permanently etched into my head. Same blond hair, same facial structure, same everything, even the scars, but the gold eyes…they were different.

There's no way.

Soon they left, vanishing in a flash, only to leave me nearly blinded by the tan guy stripping out of now where. Opening my eyes, once the pounding started up again, I crawled out, shakin' by the near death of my corneas.

_Gee buddy, give a girl a warnin' next time. _

Keeping my shield up, because you never know, I made my way back to Shade, causally whistling, taking in the darkened forest on my little hike back to my companion.

I'm a strange person.

Slowing to a crouch, I crept on the hidden canine, a grin stealing my face.

"Boo!" I jumped and landed on-

The ground.

"Oof" _God dang it._

Sitting up, rolling my wrist, I came face to face with the little bugger, head cocked, looking at me as if askin _Now why'd you go 'n' do that?_

"Not funny," I muttered, "Come on, we gotta get outta here. Bunch of vamps runnin' this place." Heading back to our temporary "home", the sun's rays were just beginning to shine through the clouds, lightening the world up in a splash of reds and pinks.

_Red sky in the mornin' sailors take warnin'._

Opening the door with a creek, I turned the TV on, before dropping on the bed. Drawing on the newly burned imprint, I mentally compared the old photo and new one, shock finally subsiding to surprise and more shock? The odds were astronomical, but apparently someone upstairs liked me, too bad this was the time they picked, but now what?

"What" seemed to be the motto of my life or somethin'. What the heck am I? What the heck caused this? What the heck am I supposed to do now? What, what, what what?

_Man 'n'_ _I just got freakin connected. Come on._

Muttering incoherent useless words, I gave Shade water one last time, turned the TV back off, why did I turn it on in the first place, and slammed the door behind us. Stalking towards town, I debated whether or not I should stick around here. It was a pretty big city, as long as I didn't go into any dark alleys I should be fine, but with that many vamps around and one of 'em's seen my face, that's just askin' for trouble. But Jasper, or someone who could be his clone, is here. Plus I'm lazy, I'm a teenage , sue me, and don't wanna move and reconnect cause let me tell you it's a pain in the freakin butt.

Hmmm…. Gah what do I do? Where's an anima artist to draw my stupid annoyed simple line faces when I need one?

My chucks dragged along the broken, cracked concrete, passing a good amount of people for how early it was. Oh well, early bird gets the worm I guess. Hopping on a bus after bus, we traveled deeper and deeper into the city, until swarms of business suits surrounded us. Wandering aimlessly, we window gazed though there weren't many shops just mainly businesses and museums. Cities are weird, so many people and way too much concrete. I tried to occupy my mind, attempting to avoid thinking of the earlier encounter with him.

_"Come on Anne time to get up."_

_Yawning, I sat up. The sun was just coming up "Are we movin again Mama?"_

_"Yeah sweetie, but we're almost there, if we move fast we can get there by tonight," Mama said, as she finished packing._

_"Yay! Will Daddy be there?" _

_She froze and I felt bad for bringing up Daddy._

_"No Anne. He's off fightin' in the war."_

_"Oh. When will he come home?"_

_Mama didn't answer, so I just followed her out the door. _

_We made it to the little town that day just like Mama said, and Daddy never came back just like Mama never said. _

A cold nose on my hand brought me back, realizing I'd stopped practically in the middle of the sidewalk. Feeling the blood rush to my face, I hurriedly melted into the traffic, stumbling over the random level changes. Feeding the earphones up under my jacket, I put one in my ear, assuming the typical 17 look of one earphone in, head bobbing, and the 'I know everything and you don't' look. Ducking into the "Y", I went to the computer and googled a map of the city I was in, noting the part I'd just recently occupied. Deciding on a town on the outskirts, opposite of the section I'd just lived in, I scribbled down the different ways to get there, deleted the history and skedaddled.

Finding one of the right buses, we began the hectic cat and mouse game of catching the correct bus outta this bustling lake of concrete and steel. A few hours and almost 20 bucks later, bye a weeks worth of non-ramen food, I was dropped off at a car filled tarc and park. Green surrounded the gravel lots, the sound of one of the main highways rushing in the background, yet with all the trees it seemed we'd stepped back into the backcountry.

It was what people called "safer" here, you could just tell, there wasn't that dangerous sense in the air; most vampires wouldn't kill in a town like this. It was close enough to a big city that it wasn't isolated; prime hunting territory for a hungry human feeder, but far enough away and small enough that if a few people went missing and maybe turned up dead, it would draw a lot of attention

Possibly a good place to crash for a little bit.

If you're wondering how I made it all this way with a giant black dog, shield, remember? Wrapped it around her, creating a mirage of empty air, so no one knew the difference, simple, no? Just another everyday task, making a dog "invisible" and trying to find some place to crash before we become popsicles.

Yay ain't life just awesome?

Really makes me wonder question my sanity when I'm talking to nobody…..

So how's life?

The light grey cracked side walk snaked parallel with the road, with very few smaller outlets going off the main street. Despite the never ending travel over the years, there was always something peaceful about walking. The simplicity of taking step after step, a deep breath of cool, crisp winter air, the rhythmic pounding of sole against concrete; it never got old.

_And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom_

_I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger,  
>I've never known the lovin' of a man<br>But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand,  
>There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever,<br>Who would have thought forever could be severed by  
>The sharp knife of a short life, well,<br>I've had just enough time._

Humming the rest of the popular song, I rolled my eyes when yet another person took their eyes off the road to look at the kid and dog walking. What is wrong with people? I'm walking! It's not like I'm having sex on the freakin' sidewalk for cryin out loud! My god; focus on the dang road.

Annoyed, I picked up the pace, only to step on a giant patch of ice.

How in the world I missed it I'll never know.

Cautiously yet quickly trying to scramble to my feet, I looked around to see if anyone saw that. Luck was on my side, minus the mocking mutt standing next to me, upright, on the stupid ice.

"I hope you freeze to death."

She shrugged and walked away, leaving me to shuffle behind, fake pouting and grumbling.

Yes people this is how I get my entertainment.

That and laughing at you when you're jumping 'n' pointing at me from your insane asylum window.

Building roofs started to appear as we came around another bend, and the tall spire of a church pierced the sky. It was actually a decent size church considering the smallish appearance of the town that lay beyond it. Pausing, my eyes traced the structure:

_The rain was causing everyone to hurry about, eyes downcast but focused. Hidden in the shadows, dull grey sunlight inches from my bare feet. I was so tired, it felt like forever ago since I'd last slept; it's too dangerous to sleep in the city. Pushing reluctantly off the wall, I hobbled into the thin traffic, trying not to draw too much attention. It was almost nighttime; I needed someplace safe for the night, but was anywhere safe now? What if…what if _that_ happened again? What if they were good people this time?_

_Shivering, exhausted, I collapsed on some stairs, and leaned against the small wall, my foot throbbing. _

_"Hey there, what are you doing out here?" _

_Turning around slightly there was a man in black: a priest, I think. _

_I tried to get up and run, but don't remember taking a step._

I'd spent the next few days at the church with Father Von Lange. That was back when you could actually trust a stranger, when everywhere you turn sex scandals weren't popping up, when a kid could crash at a church for a night and not have to worry about Social Services showin up or getting kidnapped by some traffickers or pimps etc. Life was a lot less dangerous in certain ways back then.

It was getting dark now, this time of year the days were getting shorter and shorter. Repositioning my backpack, I let the dull shadow the church swallow us up, as I cautiously went up the stairs. Leaving Shade outside, I felt like an intruder in the religious sanctum. Kneeling, I made the traditional sign of the cross, before sliding into the pew.

_"Father, please let Mama be happy again, and let her be safe. Amen." I crawled under the covers, and wished with all my 6 year old might that God would hear me and answer my prayer._

That was before I realized God didn't exist, well if he did, I wasn't in his good favor. They say God loves his children, but what Father could condemn his child to a life such as this? One where they're neither accepted by the mythical world, nor the human one, where the only thing keeping them from going insane was a bittersweet relation with a canine, where they wonder if they'll ever find a place on this Earth. And once they die will they be accepted into heaven, or will the blood that stains their hands keep the golden gates shut? Are murderers allowed into heaven if the ones killed were to save the life of another, a more innocent soul? Is it murder to kill a murderer, or simply justice in the unsophisticated sense?

Thou shall not kill a man, right?

But were the people I killed actually men?

They say God does everything for a reason, well answer me this God, what the hell is your reasoning for me?

"Can I help you?"

Turning, a man stood with confidence yet also humble at the end of the long bench.

Getting up, I exited the pew, but backed up a bit. This is always awkward; my social skills weren't the best.

"Father, I was wondering… if I could stay here for the night?"

He looked at me curiously, "Of course, may I pertain why?"

I shifted uncomfortably, and glanced at the floor, "I…I just need some time…to think." It wasn't a lie.

He nodded, "We all need time to ourselves to try and figure things out every now and then. Come with me."

I followed him into a little back room I'd passed on the way in.

"Sorry for the inconvience we're not big enough to actually have any rooms."

"It's fine. Thank you, Father."

I was left alone in the small room; plugging my IPod into to charge, I rearranged the chairs to form a makeshift bed. I ran back outside and sent Shade off into the woods for the night, feeling bad, when I could have easily hidden her, but didn't want to be even more of an intruder, and it just felt wrong for some reason.

Back on the temporary bed, I wondered if I was allowed here.

Were killer's welcomed in God's home? Were children of evil decent deemed wicked too? Even more so if they follow in their footsteps?

Rolling over I ruffled through my bag, pulling out an old beat up leather-bound journal. The old yellow pages were practically dust waiting to be blown away by a gentle breeze. Flipping through until the book fell away to reveal an extremely ancient photo, taken before I was born, that had through careful treatment and a good sum of luck had remained pretty much intact.

A stone-faced grim teenage boy stared dead-straight at the photographer, his eyes holding the fact he knew the brutality of the world and what havoc simple people could cause. Wavy/curly hair fell to his ears, and despite the black and white I knew it was blond. Minus the perfection the transformation caused, the scars, and the different eyes it was the same man from the baseball game.

My mind twisted the image, changing the gold eyes to scarlet red, standing out in stark contrast to the deathly pale skin. Hollywood added some stereotypical blood around the mouth, and a few run-ins with vamps, turned his gaze deadly mixed with hungry, his stance shifting into that of a hunter moving in for the kill.

Was I really the Devil's child?

It was early as I slipped out the front door, the thick grey clouds just barely looking lighter along the horizon. Going into the woods, I went and found Shade, her ears twitching as snow crunched under my feet. Jumping up, startled, she relaxed and stretched when she saw it was just me.

Munching on cheerios as we wandered around the town; I really didn't know what to do. I focused more on finding another place to crash. I had enough money, possibly, for a few weeks in a hotel; I'd have to get a job if I wanted to continue to stay here.

Stopping in a Wal-Mart to warm up, I silently chuckled as Shade walked curiously around the people, sniffing up a storm, and they had no idea. Roaming around the aisles, it was interesting to not feel like your toes were gonna fall off. Heading out, I picked up a few applications, before starting back to the church area. It was getting too crowded for my taste; I swear I had some weird form of claustrophobia, I don't mind tight-spaces I just mind being surrounded by tons and tons of people or if there's a lot.

Despise people.

Ducking into the woods, resuming the peaceful walk from the other day, I was glad to see the sun barely shinning through, but it was better than nothing. Even with them vamps maybe I could stick around here.

Now most of you are probably wondering why I went into the woods, thinking "hmm hasn't this chick seen the horror movies where the girl goes into the woods alone and gets killed by the crazy psycho with a chainsaw?" Well yes I have and I also scream at the idiots that do that asking them if they want to get killed and yelling that their idiots and that I would never do that. Well I lied; sorta, I'm not some stupid human that can't handle themselves in a little fight to the death, but I'm also a 17 year old girl and when have you ever known us to not do something stupid like said walk.

Pulling out Shade's tennis ball, a game of fetch was started; well more like throw it once and never get it back. It was only when her fur stood up, and a growl rumbled deep in her chest that I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Turning I came face to face with a pair of golden eyes, eyes that were surrounded by scars.

**Hey you guys know y'all wanna leave a review? :D Please, por favor, ****s'il vous plait? Please? I know y'all have heard…or well read this a lot, but it would seriously mean a lot right now. **

**And if y'all know how to say please in another language besides Spanish and French that'd be awesome too :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for delay, but heres the next chapter. I'd like to thank those who took the time to read my story even if you didn't review, you know who you are ;) But for those that did…**

_Elizabeth Dread_

_Bird That Flies At Dawn- especially for reviewing each chapter :)_

_ScarletDevil1503_

_Chimamireyuki Hiroya_

_SarahanjoMiller_

_ladyMiraculousNight_

_FleetingInspiration- I know! I do it _all_ the time; you know who gets on me for switching tenses in basically every piece I turn in. _

_XoBella ItaliaoX_

_Kcullen123_

**Thanks to you all! :D And an extra special thanks to be amazing beta and one of my best friends: **_FleetingInspiration! _

_Previously _

_Turning I came face to face with a pair of golden eyes, eyes that were surrounded by scars._

__

Oh.

Well.

This just got a little more interesting.

My gaze met his for a bit before I took in the others with him. The young brunette and the one with the messed up hair- the one who I'm almost certain had some ability, were holding hands. Did these things date or somethin'? The short fairy one was with them as well, grinning and looking as happy as can be.

Please tell me it's not 'cause she just found her next meal.

They stood on a small hill maybe 20 feet from me and Shade; how did I not sense them? Was I really that out of it?

No, there's no way, nothing could get that close without me knowing.

Great.

Was this his ability? To sneak up on people? Then how would he have heard me before? Is it possible for one of them to have two abilities?

The one with the weird colored hair gave me a shocked look.

_But it's possible for two _different_ vamps to have two _different_ powers, _I thought mockingly. Someone should have stamped DUH on my forehead at my "stunning" realization. This is almost as bad as the time when I realized fall is called fall because the leaves fall from the trees **(Made me feel like a complete idiot XP)**

The odds of me being able to take them all weren't good, but they weren't too bad, especially if I didn't want to be all "dead" and such. The vampire community wasn't exactly the chatty type, but I bet if I was suddenly "invisible" or whatever they wanna call it, talk would spread. Dancing on the supernatural boundary, you hear things, and rumor had it there was a coven of vampires over in Europe somewhere, a coven that liked to collect vamps with interesting powers. Now, I wasn't no vamp, and didn't plan on becoming one anytime soon, but if the Europe vamps were as hyped on collecting odd supernatural beings, they might, possibly, hopefully not, have heard of me. And I don't mean to sound like I got a big head or nothin', but as I told you before; I've never found anything else like me, so connect the dots. I don't plan on becoming someone's pet.

So as long as blood wasn't shed, they may stay tame enough, so that they would fight as fairly as non-bloodsucking creatures would against their dinner. And I might be able to get away without attracting too much attention.

Oh I'm so screwed.

Their eyes though….they weren't that of a normal human feeder.

A confrontation wasn't necessary though, plus it's too dangerous for Shade; her time wouldn't be now due to some blood-driving supernatural being, no it'd be on her own terms. Molding the shield around her, I signaled for her to get, to go back to the church. She growled, and hesitated for a second, before taking off, the slight whooshing of the bushes only noted by me.

Part wanted to know if the theory that'd slowly grown over the past day was true, if the boy hidden away, safety in my bag, was the same man that stood before. Or the monster that used to be the man. It was impossible though, Jasper was killed in the War, they never found his body, but it was probably blown to so many pieces that they couldn't identify him or even tell if all the pieces were actually his. Unfortunately it wasn't that uncommon for family members to only get bits and pieces of their loved ones.

Of course all that blood, fresh or not and so many men...that would have been irresistible to any passing vamp, but the odds, with so many men to choose from.

Would I ever get another chance to find out again? Probably not.

Would I end up dead? Possibly.

Would I wander around aimlessly as life slowly, and did I ever mean slowly, skipped merrily by, if he wasn't Jasper? Nah. 'Cause it's not like it already hasn't been doing that for the past 100 god dang years.

I could feel their eyes trained on me, probably wondering if I was going to run again.

Should I?

My answer was slightly influenced when the spiky-haired one came closer, close enough to see the slight shimmer that the dim sun was causing.

Taking a step back, the lyrics flowed through me, replacing veins, pounding in tune with my heartbeat. The music became a roar, synthesizing with my limbs; freedom, excitement, joy, similar to the feelings a meth addict gets after they shoot up. The rush of adrenaline felt amazing, it'd been too long. The song became my blood, became my soul; relishing in the natural, non-narcotic high. This was the only time I felt truly myself, no secrets, no lies, no mysterious, everything was right. Yet a monster lurked in the permanent shadow in the back of my head, chuckling as it toyed with me.

"It's okay. We don't want to fight," the vampire smiled.

_Mhm huh. Sure. _

The other male chuckled.

Okay this guy ain't goin' my "favorite" list.

"You want to talk to Jasper right?" she questioned, head to the side, the face of childhood naivety, though a knowing light gleamed in her topaz eyes.

Umm….yes? No? Maybe? I don't know!

" Yup. I already see it, and so much more," she squealed, bouncing. I swear my eyes were as big as all get out, I'd never seen a human bounce let alone a blood-sucking creature that lurked in terrible black and white movies. Risking a glance at the other three, I noted confusion on all their faces; well join the party folks.

Recoiling a bit at her…giddiness, the music snaked around my legs, similar to an eager pet waiting for its command to feed. What does she mean she can see it?

Oh. Come on! Do they all have powers?

"Why don't you come back to our place so you don't freeze," she questioned, bouncing closer.

I snarled and took a few steps back, and in a blur Jasper was crouched in front of her, growling right back.

"It's okay Jasper, she won't hurt us."

Excuse me? Says who?

"Careful Alice," the other guy warned.

"Will you?" she directed towards me, "You just want to talk. We're not going to hurt you."

Mhm.

Jasper straightened up as the other couple jumped down to join them, the dull light reflecting off in just a way that his scars stood out even more, they were paler than his already albino skin.

Hehe, they are kinda albino, with the whole white skin and red eyes.

The bronze haired one stopped whispering to no one it seemed, though I knew he was talking to his friends, when he caught me staring.

"Who are you?" he asked.

I remained quiet, assessing the possibly of a fight breaking out.

"What are you?" he questioned.

I mentally rolled my eyes; it was always the same questions. Who are you? What are you?

I shrugged, "Don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"It means I'm not knowledgeable of my species or orientation," I said in a deep, pathetic attempt at a British scientist.

He gave me this funny look.

"Yah know your face might get stuck like that if yah…" I trailed off.

"You think you're funny?" Mr. Soldier asked, quietly.

"I think I'm adorable." **(That scene in Supernatural was hilarious!)**

They all looked at me like I'd grown a second head. Okay I'm not the one that sparkles if I step outside in the sun thank-yah very much.

"So what's with the funky eyes?" I inquired, I know big word.

"My family and I are vegetarians," "Alice" told.

Vegetarians? Family?

"'Scuse me?"

"We drink animals," she explained.

Hmmm…that's interesting. Extremely different, but interesting. I didn't even know vampires had enough humanity let alone control to resist the scent of humans; that's what they were created for. Where did this "family" come up with this idea?

I nodded in that odd sorta way where you're just like "yeah okay sure."

"Why do you want to talk to Jasper?" the brunette asked.

I stayed silent and shrugged. It got kinda awkward after that, everyone looking around to see who would speak first. Alice seemed to be off in lala land again. Maybe she was mental?

_He_, the sparkly critter that was really starting to irk me, chuckled again.

What was so funny? No one has said anything. Do I have that high look on my face again? I really need to get control over that. Mental note: work on neutral facial expression.

"Why don't you and Jasper stay here? Edward, Bella let's head back," the little one suggested.

I shook my head, "Someplace crowded. Restaurant up on Main?"

Jasper got this look on his face, and Alice put her arm around him, whispering something.

Okay what's with vampires an' dating?

"Don't worry, yah won't smell a thing," I muttered.

Confused looks seemed to be all the rave today.

They all glanced at Alice who looked lost in thought for a second, before she growled, "I can't see after a certain point. But then you come back, and everything seems fine after that."

After a group nod and some silent chit-chat, Jasper questioned,

"Tomorrow night?"

Biting the corner of my lip; it got dark around 7ish; I nodded. "5."

Wait for it…I present to you the bouncing 4'9 vampire. What has this world come too?

In a flash they were gone; show offs. Waiting until they disappeared from my little mysterious mental radar, I leaned against the tree for a little bit, in case they decided to come back for dinner. Then I remembered they could sneak up on me and not wanting to play dead like the lazy 2012 teenager I am, I hurried out of the woods, not even trying to be quiet because hey they could smell me apparently, who cares if they can hear me.

It was only after I got out of the woods and was almost back to the church that I realized I'd made a date with the devil.

Let me tell you, walking up to a crowded restaurant to go talk to a "good" vampire who might possibly the man I'd always dreamt of meeting as a child, ranked pretty high on my "weird" list. Letting out a deep breath, I realized I was actually nervous, an emotion I hadn't truly felt in a while. Yes I was almost always paranoid about something or another, but anxiety over something that seemed trivial in comparison to say dying at the hands of a blood-thirsty vampire, a creature that shouldn't even exist, or even finding a place to live for a while so I wouldn't become a human popsicle, that was another story. Though in a normal human life, most people would have been freaking out too, but still, when had I even had a normal life?

_Devil child._

Not even as an infant was my life normal, me and my mother were shunned, deemed sinners due to my mother's transgressory before marriage. A simple mistake, that was all it was a mistake, one that seemed to be spreading throughout the world, only now it was made with the false sense of the full understanding of the possible consequences. A decision made by far too many unknowledge teenagers who thought they were "in love." Yes there were those rare cases of high school sweethearts marrying and living happily ever after for the rest of their lives, but in reality what kids consider love now a days was simply the wish and desire to be in love, a need so desperate to conquer they make themselves believe that true, unbreakable love is what connects them.

But enough with the preaching, let's get this show on the road.

Maneuvering through the crowd, was similar to what I'd expect swimming through jello would be like, you're not gonna go anywhere real fast. Squeezing past the door, I stumbled and nearly knocking a few kids over I made my way into the restaurant.

_Well I wanted crowded. _

Glancing around, it wasn't hard to spot him against the flawed human faces. Sitting on the side, he stood out like an island in the middle of the Pacific, a safe, trustworthy island; that's how they lured you in. He glanced up from the unneeded menu and caught my stare, shock registering on his face before the military ingrained composure resumed. Maneuvering through the maze of kids and waiters, I noted, unsurprised, the slight gawks he was receiving, even though most of the people here were married with children, but hey that didn't seem to stop people now-a-days. They all weren't flat out staring; some remembered their manners and were "casually" glancing at the blond creature. Would not be surprised if Brad Pitt or some other famous person could walk in here, eat, and leave completely unnoticed. Pausing a few feet from his table, he gestured to chair across from him, patience radiating from him.

Holy crap.

This was actually happening, it wasn't a dream, I was actually going to sit down and have a civilized conversation with a blood-sucking creature, a creature that could possibly be-

A waitress with an extra large tray and a frustrated expression made me duck, bringing me out of my thoughts as she nearly took my head off.

Letting out a deep breath, my head high, I marched over to him, and plopped down in the chair, scooting back as far from him without interfering with the table behind us. It was silent, his gaze focused on me, and me scanning the crowd, studying the normalcy of a family night out.

_"Here you go," the nice lady gave both me and Mama a bowl; it smelt yummy. She smiled and went away._

_ I was so hungry; snake wasn't good, it did not taste like chicken. Mama had laughed when I said that. _

_ The soup made my tummy happy; I was done way before Mama was. Smiling at her, I proudly showed her my empty bowl. She always said eat fast and eat a lot, I don't get why. She said it was only 'til we got where were going. Mama smiled. Today was good. We had beds and a fully bellies. _

"Do you want somethin' to eat?"

He nudged the menu towards me, which I glanced at before up at him. Shaking my head, I moved it aside. When I was little I'd always imagined this, of course it was a child's dream, meaning it was improbable and very Hollywood even before the city was born. I'd always wondered what I'd say to him, as I got older, but still young enough to believe that he would return, I played with each sentence, each word until it was perfect. Now, all the words had vanished, leaving us both silent, for two very different reasons.

How do I start this? What if I was wrong, and this ended up in a bloody massacre? Where's a cheesy chick flick writer when yah need 'em.

Crossing my legs, I bit my bottom lip; where in the world do I even begin? Meanwhile I took the quiet time to study him even further; in return for the examination I'm sure he was giving me. His scars were even more prominent up close, they looked like…bite marks, vampire bite marks to be more precious. I couldn't even count how many there were on his faces and neck alone, they kept fading in and out with the dim light. How could he've gotten so many? I'd never run into an "imperfect" vamp.

His face questioned if I was going to start the conversation or not; pondering what was the most delicate away to approach this, I quickly decided on, "Yah ain't like normal vamps are yah?"

He froze, astonished at the outburst as I'd just "exposed" him, he obviously couldn't deny the fact, due to our little meeting the other day, but I bet my soul his neighbors weren't aware of that little particular detail.

And what did vampires "eat"? Humans. And what are we at? A restaurant. Anyone else seeing the irony?

"Maybe…maybe this isn't the best place for that? Why don't we go back-" he started.

I shook my head. " 'Less you wanna scene."

His eyes darted around, stopping at each table within a five foot radius of us, checking for any reaction that they may have heard my accusation.

"So didn't know y'all dated. Y'all got your own version of EHarmony or somethin?

He stared at me like I'd grown a second head again; okay 'scuse me I'm not the one who goes around terrorizin' little kids.

Moving on.

"Y'all got any powers?"

He tensed at that, and I noticed the slight growl that rumbled in his chest. Interrogating a vampire in a crowded restaurant probably wasn't a good idea, oh well.

"Relax, they don't notice this," I humorlessly chuckled, gesturing to his tense posture, and me sitting on the edge of my chair, as far away from his as humanly possible in the cramped restaurant. " 'Long as you don't flip a table or nothin' we're fine. All I know is they see two normal lookin' people talkin' and eatin'. Not a vamp, and a half wild kid."

He looked at me thoughtfully, confusion, and uncertainty playing under his stoic mask, but also curiosity shading him just a bit.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Why did you come?"

He was silent for a bit. "I'm an empathetic, I can control emotions. The other guy in the woods can read minds" HA! 'Xplains so much. "The brown haired one is a mental shield," That could explain how they snuck on me, "And…and Alice can see the future," he admitted reluctantly.

Dag on. I knew enough to know that vampires with powers were rare, but I'd just run into four, and they all lived together. Wow that's a lot of power runnin' 'round. What if them Europe vamps wanted these guys?

Chewing on my bottom lip, my mind registered the powers, processing them, trying to wrap my mind around the idea, before filing them away. Opening the second shield I felt it wrap around my frame, blocking off their now imprinted powers. I'm not sure how to explain it, as I've said a thousand times before. I'll give it a very short try though, 1st shield is one I always have up, blocks scent, heartbeat, like I said before etc, 2nd is an extension of that that eliminates the previous list and blocks all powers that I'm aware of 3rd: makes me "invisible" as some say, but it just manipulates peoples into thinking they don't or can't see me, also an extension of other shields.

Now I sound like a stupid anime character of somethin'. I swear I'm not crazy, that's just the only way I can think of explaining what I can do. I know I sound like some arrogant superwoman person who's like I can do this and this and that blah blah blah. But that's what I can do for some reason, don't know why, don't know how.

Once the barrier was set, it took a second for him to realize he couldn't feel me anymore-does anyone else think that sounds wrong?- and confusion slid across his face for a second.

"How?"

I shrugged and murmured, "Don't know. Just somethin' I can do.

"Why can't we smell you?"

"It's…difficult to explain. It similar to why they don't see us right."

"Is that also why I can't smell anyone in here?" he questioned.

I nodded, "Don't need a bloodbath on my hands."

_Already got too much of it. _

His eyebrows shot up for a split second, a reaction most people wouldn't have noticed, but his kind were tricky. Some of them acted pleasant, civil, but then in a split second the façade dropped and they become the real monster they are, you had to learn to watch the minute expressions, hoping you'll be able to catch when they acts stops and hunger takes over.

"You're from the South?"

I nodded, "Mh hm, yeah"

"What brought you up here?"

I shrugged, "Different reasons."

It was silent for a bit letting my gaze wander to my right, watching the different groups of people.

"Were you hunting us?"

A smirk broke through my unemotional mask along with a sharp breath out, my form of chuckling. "Psh, yeah right." I paused for a second, glancing at a family a few tables away, unaware of the possible danger that sat not 20 feet from them. "Nah, I thought….I thought yah were dead. Dang near gave me a heart attack when I first saw yah."

"You…know me?"

Oops.

Biting my lower lip, I hesitated before digging in my bag, feeling the crackled pages, before drawing the picture out, I placed it on the table. He raised an eyebrow in question and I nodded, watching his pale fingers gently pick up the photograph. It wasn't often you pulled the hood over one of his kind, but when you did and I mean when you _did_ their faces are the funniest things. His eyes widened, and he got this what the "f" look his face, it was actually pretty comical considerin' ten seconds ago he was all military and stoic, and now he's got that look of when a little kid sees a clown and it's that moment right before they run away screaming.

"Where did you get this?" he whispered, putting the picture back down in front of me.

"Person."

He frowned at my evasiveness, his gaze studying the picture for a split second, before trailing back up to me.

"Did I know you before…?"

_If only you knew. _"Nah, we ain't never met before this."

"So how did you get this?"

Was I seriously going to do this? I mean this is something ShowTime writers come up with, not real life. This should not be happening, but yes it should because it just should. But then again it shouldn't because this is real life and real life sucks and this kinda stuff doesn't happen. I wonder if I would get locked up if I had a mental breakdown in Applebee's?

"My-" I paused and let out a deep breath, "My mom gave it to me."

I watched his face go from surprise to confusion, obviously trying to remember anything from his previous life that could give him some sort of upper hand.

"I think…possibly, almost 100 percent sure, that umm… that you're my dad."

Hello nose dive off the Grand Canyon.

Thank god for the façade, cause he stopped breathing, it was unnerving to see someone alive, but not seeing their chest rise or fall. Is this how parents reacted in those corny Lifetime movies? Know what I'm doing next time I park my butt in front of a television. My childhood dream was now reality, so why did I wanna run outta here like a bat outta hell. This wasn't exactly how I pictured it, my dad being a vamp, me posing as a 17 year old, or the year being 2012 for that matter, but would the ending be the same?

It slowly got awkward as he processed this information; can vampires go into shock?

"That's impossible," he stated, "I don't remember ever…"

"Knockin' a girl up back when you were human?" I offered, disheartened at his claim.

His nose twitched a bit, something I'd seen him a do a lot, must be his unconscious way of showing disapproval, at my informal "fill-in".

"See the thing is, I know for a fact that this man is my dad," I told laying my fingers on the photo, "and whether you wanna believe it or not, I got the strongest feelin' it's you."

It was silent for a bit.

"That could explain why you can block your scent," he murmured.

Hope and joy that belonged to a naïve child built up, but it was soon destroyed at his next sentence.

"But that doesn't mean you're mine," he declared, getting up, "Whatever you are the best thing you can do is leave."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off,

"Just stay away from my family."

In a split second he was gone, leaving me slightly shocked at his statement.

_Well what did you expect? For him to just say okay, and be like…. _Carefully placing the picture back in my bag, I got up, and clumsily maneuvered my way out. Snow fell as people tried to crowd inside, blanketing the parking lot in a mix of new pure snow and grey ugly slush. Leaving the thinning crowd and the now forever engrained bad memory behind, I walked up the small hill, before turning onto the sidewalk, my now soaked and soon to be frozen shoes scuffing the concrete. Shade's nails click against the sidewalk or what wasn't frozen, her chain collar jingling slightly with each step; in a blink she was visible for the rest of the world, anyone driving past would just think they hadn't noticed her at first. A freezing wind blew through my jacket, biting at my skin, winter was officially here. And I had nowhere to go, the church was out, hotel rooms were too much here and there wasn't a homeless shelter or camp around here. The only dream that I'd retained from my childhood, the one subconscious hope that still burned deep in my heart had been snuffed out. All along, in the back of my mind, it wasn't the mystery of what I was that drove me; it was the childhood wish that my dream would come true someday. And now it had, only it'd transformed into a bloody nightmare.

**So what'd you guys think? I know it seemed out of character of Jasper, but hopefully you'll guys will understand the explanation in the next chapter. I'd also like to thank all those who've reviewed and have translated please into a whole bunch of languages :D. I know I could just go to Google translator, but I find this a little more fun and interesting. So ****onegai, bitte, s'il vous plait review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey,**

** First of all I'd like to apologize for the delay, school had gotten insane, our Board of Education wasn't equipped to deal with no snow days resulting in the scrambling to schedule finals around AP testing as well as EOCS etc but it's over now, thank god :) And after taking week to recover and regain some creativity that I was robbed of over the past year, I present the latest chapter in U.F.O.N: Unidentified Freak of Nature.**

** Also I apologize for any inconsistencies as this was written in pieces, I read over this but it's almost one in the morning and my contacts are being annoying, for those of you who wear them you know what I'm talking about, but I do believe it's all good and there isn't some random paragraph out of place. **

** I would like to take a quick second and thank all those who reviewed, alerted, favorited and just took the time to read this terrible puppet show of Stephanie's Meyer's series oh so long ago as well as now. This includes…**

_kat callan-I will get back to you and read your latest chapter by Monday, McDonald's calls :P_

_ misaai_

_TwilightLuver234_

_TeamComrade11_

_Bird That Flies At Dawn_

**A bunch of familiar faces :D yay! But anyway on with the story, as I know most of you skipped all the way down to here anyway -.-**

_Previously_

_The only dream that I'd retained from my childhood, the one subconscious hope that still burned deep in my heart had been snuffed out. All along, in the back of my mind, it wasn't the mystery of what I was that drove me; it was the childhood wish that my dream would come true someday. And now it had, only it'd transformed into a bloody nightmare._

Jasper's POV

Pulling over, I tried to get my emotions under control, to lock away this night with all the rest that were unwanted.

_She's not my daughter,_ I thought, but I knew it was a lie. So why did I deny it?

With a sigh, I started the car again and sped back home, whipping into the garage. I could feel everyone's anxiety, but it was tinged with tranquility, and as well as the ever present excitement. I couldn't help by smile at my wife's happiness.

Going inside, I found the downstairs empty save for Esme and Carlisle curled up together in the loveseat, reading. I knew it was partially an act as they were curious along with everyone else about the meeting.

"How did it go?"

Nessie came barreling down the stairs, eagerness radiating off her.

"It was… interesting," I told, going to hug Alice as she landed on the bottom stair.

"So who was she?" Renesmee asked, bouncing, despite her 17 year old stature, mentally she was still four years old in some respects.

I froze, unsure of what to say.

"No one. She mistook me for someone else. It was just a misunderstanding," I answered, wrapping my arm securely around Alice, feeling her newborn curiosity. Only I could never tell her the truth, that I'd abandoned a young girl _pregnant_ with my child out of wedlock, a child who could have shed enough blood to rival that of the Vampire Wars. If one of the leaders had come across her, had managed to tame her enough to make her obey; I'm sure the Volturi would have been forced to step in, as the South would have been massacred. Only now she was here, human as ever, aside from that evident difference.

"I'm going to go for a run," I whispered to my love, before jumping out the window. Leaping over the small river, the tress blurred by, but I didn't notice, my thoughts too wrapped up in today's events. Pausing at a safe distance from the mind-reader, I realized what I was doing. I, the youngest major of the Confederate Army, survivor of the Southern Vampire Wars was running away from an issue created by a mere child.

With a sigh, I leaded against a nearby tree, pressing my palms into my eyes, still seeing her shock at my denial in my head. Why had Caroline told her about me? Why hadn't she gotten an abortion?

A gust of wind brought Edward's scent to me, along with his frustration and anger; I knew he wasn't pleased with my actions especially because of Renesmee.

"How could you Jasper?" he hissed, stopping in front of me, "She's your daughter and you abandoned her!"

"She's not my daughter! I never-" I snarled.

"That's a lie and you know it," he stated.

He was right, I remembered Caroline. I remembered when I first saw her, how I thought she was my mate, how she was afraid of me and what I was, how I made her "trust" me, "love" me.

"She's going to die tonight Jasper. Alice has seen her disappear completely."

"Maybe that means she's going to permanently leave," I spoke quietly.

"Maybe," he whispered unconvinced.

I opened my mouth to speak but I couldn't piece together the jumble of words that were floating around in my head. Confusion and concentration emanated from my brother as he tried to pry the mess apart. With a sigh, he left.

Could I really go back to the house and continue on like nothing happened?

Could I really let my…daughter die?

Anna's POV

I wish I could tell you what happened after the restaurant incident, but I don't remember. I wasn't lost in thought, but I wasn't aware of my surrounding, somewhere in the middle; enough to almost not become road kill, but not enough to notice when the sun fell or when the small town faded into the night background and old crumbling houses crowded the narrow street.

Ice clung to the neon orange plastic, cracking to the point that the little thought it might snap whispered, but it couldn't overcome the numbness brought on by the cold and the subconscious self-defense variety. Crawling into the unfrozen but still cold as ice middle, I curled up, pulling my arms in; tonight was freezing, colder than I would have normally stayed out in, cold enough that death was lurking outside the playground toy tube.

_"Mama what's snow?" I asked, kicking a rock that bounced across the road. _

_ "Where'd you here about that Anna?"_

_ "One of the other children," I told. _

_ I caught her frown, before I turned back to hopping down the side of the road, little clouds of dust poofing up. Mama didn't really like it when I was around the other kids, I don't know why. Maybe it's 'cause some of their 'folks get mad whenever we play, they call me names and tell their children to "not go near me, that I'm dangerous"_

"_Hmm. Snow…well snow's just frozen rain. That's why it doesn't snow a lot around here. It's too hot."_

_ "Are we ever gonna leave Mama?"_

_ "What do you mean?" she asked, pulling me into a store. A group of women glared at Mama before buying their items and storming out. That's one thing I don't understand about Mama, why would she choose to stay in this place when so many people didn't like her? Why do they even hate her? They don't know her. Mama ignored them and just picked up some cloth. _

_ "Are we gonna walk a lot again?"_

_ "No sweetie." _

_ "Well if we do can we go some place that has snow?" _

_ "Sure sweetie."_

Boy did I regret even stepping foot in a climate that hit under 60 degrees.

I don't mean to sound all overly-dramatic and whiny and depressed and "my dad hates me and rejected me and life sucks and it's cold so I'm gonna kill myself blah blah blah" but it hurt. It just wasn't like a broken bone or busted rib that could be drowned away in Advil and alcohol-which you should never mix by the way, that was a bad idea,- it felt like a block of cement had set up camp in my stomach. I didn't know why his coldness bugged me as much as it did, it's not like I was expecting him to accept me and life to continue on normally, but it felt like pressure was building up in me, a scream from hell that's been locked away ever since that day. It's an exploding feeling that lurks beneath the surface, but becomes unbearable when everything becomes too much. You know that feeling where it's like a giant rock is crushing you while at the same time someone is blowing a balloon up inside your chest, and with their next breath, the balloon will pop, and you'll explode into a million little shards.

I tried to ignore the pain by contemplating the idea of building a fire. I doubt I would find enough dry wood, but maybe a few pieces to at least get it going. Then again there were vampires, despite their claim of being "vegetarian" running around and a light in the middle of a playground may signal to them homeless person no one will miss, and I'm not going to take the risk one of them decides tonight they would break their lifestyle. Also wouldn't normal people that live in the houses across the street find it a tad odd, then the cops might get called then that's just another whole can of worms. It seems fire was not going to happen tonight.

_ "You sold us out!" he hissed._

_ "What? No." I stared at him in disbelief and shock. _

_ "They're going to kill them!"_

_ "T-they wouldn't-"_

_ "They're going to put them in the Maze and they're going to die."_

_ "After everything? All they've done. All the money?"_

_ "Just go back to hell," he muttered, turning and leaving me alone on the edge. _

I grimaced at the nightmare that decided to appear long before my eyes closed, but it must have meant my time had run out, because it was pitch black when I regained consciousness, but it was only for a few minutes before sleep took me again. I kept drifting in and out of sleep, any concept of time I'd originally had was gone. When I woke up again, it seemed permanent as the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up and something just felt off. I don't know if it was because of Shade that I stopped shivering; she's not exactly what some people call a "fit" dog, she's got every girls dream metabolism; it actually hurt to use her as a pillow because her spin and ribs stuck out so bad. And she ate more than I did. I'm surprised she has enough meat on her to produce enough body heat for herself alone, forget about her human companion.

"'Gonna get sick if you stick out here long enough."

My heart skipped a beat at his silence-shattering whisper, but I tried to keep my face impassive even though he couldn't see it. I dug my fingers deeper into Shade's coat, keeping my unfixated gaze straight ahead. A low growl rumbled deep in her throat; the anxiety, the uncertainty, and the fear; she felt it all, and reacted in according to her most primal instincts.

"Shh." I murmured, running my hand over her rough fur, she relaxed a little, but crawled out after the gentle nudge I gave her. What little heat that'd radiated from her was immediately blown away by a frozen breeze, a wind that came over the small plastic shelter and surrounded me, soaking through my thin jacket like it was a simple piece of paper.

Crawling out the opposite side, I could feel his eyes on me as he stood as still as the cold statue he'd become. The occasional snap of branches broke the silence; it was soothing in a way.

"What do you want?" I muttered, "'Cause if it's a midnight snack, then I'm sorry you're stuck with a slushie."

"I came to see if you were okay. It's cold out tonight. Why don't you come back to my place?" he offered softly.

"N-no." I shook my head, feeling Shade lean reassuringly against me. I let my hand fall to stroke her head, feeling the frozen tips of her ears; she wouldn't last through the night. She was too scrawny; she didn't have enough body heat for herself let alone the both of us.

He took a step to go around the playground and I felt my mouth curl into a snarl.

_"__And when we buried him beneath the willow. The angels sang a whiskey lullaby"*_

"Get away."

He was pushed back a bit, and he looked surprised as he slammed into the rubber stairs. "How in the hell?" he whispered, "What are you?"

"I would sure as hell like to know. Now, can you really not come back tomorrow? I'd be more of fight, or I mean if you're not into that, then knock yourself out," I muttered, gesturing for him to come at me.

# # #

Jasper's POV

She was pale, almost as pale as us, the blood had been drained out of her, her lips were tinted blue, and her fingers were grey; they looked dead. Her eyes were clouded, and despite her relaxed posture, I could see the edge she was teetering on. The soldier in me quickly calculated the odds of a fight, and surprisingly the frozen being in front of me standed a rather good chance.

Since we'd first run into her, Carlisle had been scouring his history books for any clue as to what the "heartless human", as Emmett so enthusiastically dubbed her, could have been. Our meeting had revealed a whole other set of puzzle pieces, ones I kept to myself in and though it'd seemed as far-fetched as my denial, now the possibility was the only sensible one. She was a hybrid.

"I didn't come here to fight," I told, taking a cautious step forward. "Like I said I came to see if you were okay."

The dog with her was growling the whole time; it bounced where it stood, confusion building in it. It's loyalty towards the frozen teenager was fighting against its instincts that told me I was a threat. I sent calming waves towards it; it's feelings towards my daughter were stronger than most normal pet-human relationships.

"Well as you can see from this fine establishment and the acreage I recently acquired, I'm doing just fine," she announced, patting the equipment while gesturing wildly to the playground.

"I doubt that will stop you from freezing tonight," I remarked.

Her face twisted into a cross between annoyance and amusement before settling back into its seemingly usual guarded ensemble.

"What do you care?"

I winced, regretting my earlier decision of rejecting her.

"I may be a monster in your eyes, but I try and not let stubborn humans foolishly let themselves freeze to death."

"I never said you were a monster," she stated, "May have thought it, but…"

She was a spit-fire that's for sure.

I took another step towards her, noting the subtle change in her stance, a little more weight on her left side, a quick dart of the eyes to mine, a nudge on her companion, a silent message between the two. She was ready to run, and I doubted we'd ever find her again if she did; it was by pure chance I ran across her scent; it seemed her ability was based on her health, and now she's almost half-dead, but still fighting.

"Well if that's all, as you can see I'm fine, and if you'll excuse me I'd like to catch a little shut eye, before I must pack up and leave or risk being discovered. Again I'm sorry for causing you any trouble, per your request after tonight you'll never see me again; please lock the door on your way out."

Already she was frustrating.

"Please. Just leave us alone. We'll be gone by sunrise," she promised, looking down, toying with the dog's ears.

# # #

Anna's POV

It was just a simple disturbance, a slight breeze, and he was gone, not a trace left aside from the single set of footprints; pretty soon those would just be dust in the wind as well. Kneeling down, my frostbitten skin protesting, igniting a searing fire in my knee, I tried to calm Shade. My fingers counted each digit of her spine, as I attempted to smooth down her fur, all the while trying to keep a lid on what emotion was eating away at me. It took a bit, but eventually her fur returned to normal, though she still stood tense, teeth bared at the danger that had already bid us farewell.

"It's okay, everything's fine baby girl," I whispered, coaxing her underneath the rubber stairs. Leaning against the upside-down step, I continued to pet her, hoping she would relax enough to sit down. Shrugging out of my jacket, I cleared away what little snow had been blown in here, and tossed it down, knowing she would rearrange it later. Drawing my knees up, I continued to pet her; she was cold.

Jasper's POV

It had started snowing not too long ago; it'd been almost half an hour since I'd left…I didn't even know her name.

_Great way to start off parenthood Jasper,_ I mentally slapped myself. Pulling out my phone, I called the one person whose judgment had already come.

"Hello?"

"Edward…can you do me a favor?" I asked.

I took his silence as a yes; time wasn't on mine or her side, "Can you bring your car to Lincoln Elementary?"

"I'll be there soon."

A dial tone buzzed in my ear before I ended the call. Her scent was stronger now, making venom pool in the back of my mouth. Swallowing back the poison, meant for my own flesh and blood, I headed back to meet up with my adopted brother. Lingering on the edge of the woods, I noticed how she was even paler; resembling death to the point that if I was human I would have thought I'd stumbled upon a body. Hearing the roar of Edward's Volvo, I ran ahead to meet him, hoping to not draw too much attention.

"Alice's visions keep changing, she's not very happy about it either, probably also because I wouldn't let her come hunt you down," he told, as we ran back to the playground, only to be met by the incessant snarling of her dog.

"I think you forgot to mention something Jasper," he remarked.

I shot him a pointed look.

"We need to get her to Carlisle now." He mumbled, before moving to snatch up the canine. "Should I just leave it here?"

I shook my head as I gathered up the teenager, "No. I'm pretty sure she would kill you if you did. She was willing to give up her life to save it," I noted as I picked up her somewhat warm jacket that was obviously used as a nest by the dog.

There was a small flash of fear from Edward, and I didn't need to have his ability to know it was for his beloved car that would probably need a new interior in the end.

"They need to stay together, it stays calm…er" I corrected noting the pure struggle for its life against Edward's unbreakable grip, "around her. I'll buy you a new car after all this is over."

Carefully I placed the frozen human in the front seat, hearing her ever slowing heartbeat, while Edward tried to gently put the dog in the backseat, but in the end had to just settle for shoving her in as she continually gnawed away at his hands.

"Thank you," I whispered.

My adopted brother smiled, nodded, before running back to the house to alert the others.

Growling, loud enough to match the engine, didn't quiet despite the soothing ways I sent towards it. Turning the heat up to high, I focused on the rapidly freezing roads; something told me the cargo wouldn't last if I wrapped the car around the tree.

_I'm sure I'd be right behind them if Edward had any say in it, _I thought dryly.

It seemed to take forever, but eventually tires squealed as the car skid into the garage. Carlisle was there, a blur to human eyes as he gathered her and raced off. Alice met me before I'd shut the door, anger but concern drifting off her.

"Who is she Jasper? Why wouldn't Edward let me follow you?"

Internally I sighed, making my decision. My wife gasped as her focus returned, only her new emotions weren't what I was expecting. Understandance, acceptance tinged with her usual excitement.

"Why?" I whispered.

"We all make mistakes Jasper."

"I _abandoned_ her mother with a potentially dangerous newborn, in the middle of a Vampire War; casualties would have been even more rampant. I abandoned a young pregnant woman out of wedlock, a woman I tricked into loving me, because I was so desperate for her blood," I spat.

"It's okay Jasper."

I hung my head in shame, until an offending scent assaulted us, and venom pooled unintentionally in my mouth at the smell of our kinds only enemy.

"Come on; let's go check on her and Carlisle." Her hand slipped into mine and she danced away, leading me upstairs to the guest bedroom where I assumed Carlisle had set up a makeshift hospital. I was right as we found him, adjusting some settings on the miniature EKG.

"I still haven't found anything. Is there anything you can tell me about her?" Carlisle asked, as he started hooking IV drips into her blue skin.

I shook my head. "I think she's a hybrid. She has some sort of ability. But nothing that would pertain to this."

He "hmmed", "What kind of ability?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know how to explain it really."

Carlisle glanced up at me, confusion written on his face, before returning to his work.

Someone, Esme I assumed, had changed her into a pair of Bella's old sweats as I'm sure she was the only one in the Cullen household who owed sweats; I'm pretty sure she'd kept them hidden from my fashion attentive wife. Color still hadn't returned to her, but her heartbeat was holding steady. That was good.

"Everything keeps changing still, but more and more show her in the future," Alice told.

"That was not funny Edward," Jacob growled from downstairs. "That dog could have taken my face off at the rate she was fighting,"

"Oh that would have been such a tragedy," Rosalie snarled.

Jacob growled, but Bella brought up the fact Renesmee was sleeping and they fell quiet.

"Your car looks like a chainsaw got taken to it by the way," Jacob muttered.

Anna's POV

_Cold._

_ Pain._

_ Sharp._

_ Needles._

Beep beep. Beep beep.

_ Pain._

_ Scream._

_ Cold. _

_ Screams: inhuman, human. _

_ Cries._

_ Tears._

Beep beep. Beep beep.

_ Pain. _

_ Cold. _

Beep beep. Beep beep.

Jasper's POV

It'd been almost ten hours since I'd brought my daughter home; she was almost back to normal, if that word even applied to her. I still couldn't understand how she was still alive, or what she even was; there weren't many similarities between her and Nessie or Nahuel. Carlisle had scoured the Internet and his contacts even more, but had come up empty handed. She was an anomaly.

"Everything's going to work out, even if I can't see," Alice finished darkly. I chuckled and pulled her into my lap.

"I told her to leave though, that she wasn't my daughter, that there wasn't a way. She'd been so hopeful when we first ran into her, and I rejected her. At the playground she told me that after "tonight you'll never see me again." And it's true; I doubt we would have found her as someone else would have. They would have found her frozen to death,"

"Hey now, don't talk like that. She's here now and she's safe, that's all that matters. The past is the past, we can't change it, we just have to learn."

I was about to contradict her second meaning when I froze as a wave of raw fury and pure fear surrounded the house, until the air became thick with it. Alice gasped a split second before a crash resounded throughout the house; Edward snarled at something else my wife saw.

"No!" he roared.

Alice was up the stairs before my brother had quieted, and I followed, racing to catch up with the strong emotions as they moved further away. The room looked undisturbed aside from the shattered window; glass littered the floor, glittering ever so slightly in the dim sun-light that managed to push through the overcast.

Renesmee who'd been playing with Jacob, the soccer ball abandoned, was frozen in fear at the sight not a few feet from her.

"Jacob, Edward. Don't." Alice jumped down to join Carlisle and Esme who stood on the back porch, tensed but cautious.

I followed her, but could only focus on one thing: my daughter, half crouched, snarling at my adopted siblings. Renesmee was trying to inch away towards Jacob who was shaking; from her point of view I guess he seemed less of a threat than the dirty blond whose eyes were stained crimson, like that of a newborn.

**I'm sorry about the constant switches between points of views, along with an unintentional OOCness of Jasper. Please review or PM if you have any tips on how to improve or just your thoughts in general :) **

** Also I know there wasn't a lot of interaction between Alice and Jasper and the rest of the Cullen's; that will be next chapter. **

** *Credit goes to artist Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss for the song Whiskey Lullaby, which I highly recommend even if you don't prefer country, give it a shot. **


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